


Loose Lips

by ConceptaDecency



Series: Kiss and Tell [2]
Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Bajoran Culture, Cardassian Culture, F/M, Julian Bashir's canonical foot fetish, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:02:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26084635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConceptaDecency/pseuds/ConceptaDecency
Summary: Leeta may be engaged to Rom, but she still wants the best for Julian and his new relationship with Garak. To Garak's delight and dismay.A prequel to Kiss and Tell.
Relationships: Elim Garak & Leeta, Julian Bashir/Elim Garak, Past Julian Bashir/Leeta
Series: Kiss and Tell [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1893766
Comments: 41
Kudos: 101





	Loose Lips

**Author's Note:**

> This is a prequel to [Kiss and Tell](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23187871), but I think they are better read out of chronological order, so if you haven't read it yet, I'd recommend reading [Kiss and Tell](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23187871) first!
> 
> Thanks to my friends [DHW](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DHW/pseuds/DHW), [almaasi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/almaasi/pseuds/almaasi), and [excessiveprepositionalphrases](https://archiveofourown.org/users/excessiveprepositionalphrases/pseuds/excessiveprepositionalphrases) for sewing chat and telling me that I should watch Project Runway and Garak is Tim Gunn. I haven't watched it but I guess I have to now! 
> 
> And extra special thanks to [Crowtoed](https://crowtoed.tumblr.com) the itinerant costumer for the detailed advice in writing the tailoring bits. They are not to blame for the cursed content of this piece. They were innocently answering sewing questions. Also any bits where I got the tailoring stuff wrong are my fault and not theirs. Either that or Cardassian tailors are different.

“How are you and Julian?” Leeta was grinning. It was a fair question, Garak supposed. And an expected one. She’d been the catalyst in getting them together, after all, and they had to talk about _something_ while Garak fitted her for her wedding dress. Dressmaking done right was not a swift process, and Leeta knew Julian — and Garak — too well to be expected to stick to the usual polite small talk. 

"Very well, thank you," he replied. "If you could turn, please, my dear. To the left. That's perfect." Garak ran a sizer over the bodice of the dress. Just because it was a fair question didn't mean Garak was going to just give away information. He wouldn't be himself, for one thing, if he did that, and for another he'd found that Leeta enjoyed teasing out secrets nearly as much as Julian did. Perhaps that had been one of the reasons (in addition to Leeta falling hard for Rom) that Leeta and Julian had ultimately been incompatible. Both of them were open books. As well as incorrigible amateur sleuths. 

"You know how to stop him from snoring, don't you?"

Snoring. That bizarre human behaviour that seemed completely counter to pleasant co-habitation. A grating, useless noise the reason for which even Julian couldn't explain, and yet bed-sharing between mates was just as common for humans, it seemed, as for Cardassians. 

"I've found having him lie on his side helps," Garak replied. And it did, sometimes, but if Leeta had a more effective way to solve the problem, Garak was eager to hear it.

"How, by waking him up and making him turn over?" Leeta, careful not to move too much, shook her head. "It's not the best way, Garak. Then he just gets annoyed and denies he was snoring."

"Yes, that's exactly what he does!" Garak had been surprised the first time, when Julian, more asleep than awake, had mumbled, exasperated, that he had NOT been making noises and demanded Garak let him sleep. And then gone on to snore some more. Such Obsidian Order-esque blatant denial of reality was impressive coming from Julian, but that didn't make it any less detrimental to a good night's sleep. "It's infuriating. But you have a better method?"

"Just click your tongue." Leeta demonstrated a _tsk_ sound. "It's like he's trained. He'll roll over and leave you in peace for the rest of the night. Most nights. Unless he's been drinking." 

"Is that so?" Garak would be testing that trick very soon. “Thank you, my dear. You may have improved my quality of life immensely. Now, left arm up, please, and don't move."

Leeta obediently raised her arm, and Garak set to measuring and pinning the bodice. "Of course, Garak. It's only right to share this kind of information. You'll never hear it from Julian."

"Indeed." Garak agreed with the second statement, if not the first. It was rarely 'only right' to share this kind of information. However, it _was_ useful, and as he was on the receiving end, he had no objections. 

"So how's the sex?" 

"...pardon?" Garak was glad his face was currently in Leeta's armpit. He'd lived amongst Bajorans for years, and was familiar enough with their culture, but he'd never quite got used to their frankness when it came to sexual matters. A Cardassian would never casually ask her ex-boyfriend's new lover about their sex life. (Although, by rights, a Cardassian would not have a lover, or an ex-boyfriend, for that matter, as sex outside of marriage was officially Harmful to the State and thus Not Done.)

But Garak tried to be open-minded. It paid to be flexible, especially when one was forced to make one's home amongst aliens. 

"The sex. Just curious. I found Julian to be a very generous lover, but he is a bit obsessed with his penis." She giggled. "I doubt that's changed."

No, it absolutely hadn't changed. Garak had noticed the same thing. "I'm given to believe that the penis is a common human preoccupation," he said, giving just enough to encourage further sharing on her part. And it was true, without being too personal. Much of the literature Julian had given him, as well as Julian's more puerile Holosuite adventures (and they were mostly puerile), supported this theory.

"Yes, I think you're right," said Leeta. "Definitely. They think it's some kind of magic pleasure tool. Or at least some of them do. You know that face Julian makes when he takes his out of his underpants? It's like he's about to give you the best Gratitude Festival gift you've ever received." 

Garak couldn't help it. A guffaw escaped him, and he very narrowly avoided pricking Leeta with a pin. "My dear, you have a positively uncanny talent for description. That is precisely the face he makes.”

"It is very sweet, though. That face. He really _believes_ it."

"It is." Garak had to agree. The unquestioning faith Julian had in the power of his penis was just another aspect of his charm. "He does. Now, how does this feel? Too tight?"

"No, it's perfect."

"Excellent. You may lower your arm, but mind the pins. And now the other one, if you please." 

Garak and his pincushion made their way around Leeta as she raised her right arm. "Do you know about the size thing?" she asked. 

Size thing? Was she speaking of dresses? Some Bajoran or Ferengi wedding custom Garak was unfamiliar with? Or were they still on the topic of human penises? "I'm afraid I don't know what you're referring to."

"I thought not." Leeta lowered her voice conspiratorially. "Garak, Julian will tell you this isn't true, but humans evaluate their penises based on _size_."

"Have mercy, Leeta. That's ridiculous!" Truly, it was. In Garak's experience, size was of very little import compared to skill and attentiveness. Did size in fact impact quality of sex for humans, or just another bizarre cultural belief? "And what size is considered to be optimal?"

"Oh, the bigger the better."

Of course. "Length or girth?"

Leeta could barely contain her snicker, but she did her best to hold still while Garak was pinning. "Both, I think."

Even more curious. "That does not surprise me in the least," he said, allowing himself a wry chuckle. "Consider the size of their starships."

Leeta shook with mirth, but luckily Garak was prepared for it and had paused in his work. 

"Julian loves it if you tell him he's got a huge one," Leeta offered as soon as she was able to speak again. 

"Oh? Does he really require such reassurance? I, ah, wouldn't have thought it necessary."

"He _is_ pretty big," Leeta agreed. "I don't think it's reassurance, exactly. I mean, he's pretty confident."

"He is." He was. And to be fair, he had every reason to be. Julian was an extremely skilled and attentive lover. 

"He just...really likes it. Try it, you'll see. Tell him that you love how big his cock feels while he's fucking you and it'll be like, I don't know. Like you flipped a switch to warp factor 9." She paused. "If that's something you two do. Sorry, I shouldn't assume. Where are my manners?" Leeta blushed, truly chagrined. "He likes to hear it while he's getting oral, too. I mean, you know, take it out of your mouth halfway through and say your jaw needs a rest because it's so big. That kind of thing."

Well. Garak thanked the ancestors he was using a pincushion, like Mila'd always taught him, rather than holding the pins in his mouth, because he was quite certain he'd have swallowed one at _that_ little pearl of wisdom. Bajorans had no filter when it came to sex, everyone knew that, and he was extremely grateful to Leeta for the valuable information, but there was only so far one could stretch one's sense of propriety at a moment’s notice. Garak was, frankly, shocked and embarrassed. Although, now that he thought about it, having a few pins in his mouth just then might have given him a good excuse for not formulating a coherent response to Leeta's kindly advice. Neither Mila nor Tain's life lessons had prepared him for _this_ eventuality. 

His silence must have hinted to Leeta that she'd crossed a line. "Sorry, Garak, I shouldn’t have said that." 

“It’s quite alright, my dear,” said Garak, relieved on the one hand that she'd realised she shouldn't be getting any more personal, but hoping that this realisation wouldn’t make her shy away from revealing more information about Julian.

"No, it was unfair of me. You don’t need me to explain how to suck a dick and talk at the same time. I'm sure you've done it before.” She bit the inside of her cheek, concerned. "I guess I forgot that just because Cardassians never talk about sex it doesn't mean you don't know how to do it. I hope I haven't offended you." 

"Of course not," said Garak, touched by her concern. "You should know by now that it takes more than a little vulgarity to offend me, Leeta." Shock and embarrass perhaps, but hardly _offend_. Not from Leeta, in any case. An intelligent person considered the source; if Leeta had been Cardassian, he could only have interpreted what she'd just said as a grave and deliberate attempt to violate his dignity. Even the likes of Dukat had never spoken to Garak in that manner. But. Leeta was not Cardassian. This feature of Bajoran culture, this openness with private matters such as sex, was well-known. 

"Well, good, I'm glad.” The cheerful air returned to her voice. "Because there is actually this other thing he likes, when you're going down on him. You take his cock in one hand-" she curled her fingers into a sort of tube, “and then with the other you kind of tickle his balls, and with your tongue you...no, it's too hard to explain."

"Leeta, my dear, you really mustn't fidget.” Leeta had lifted her arm a little too high, and the row Garak had painstakingly pinned was threatening to loosen, or even worse, to tear at the delicate Rakanthan velvet.

“Oops, sorry.” Leeta resumed her former pose, stiff and still as a statue. "I'll show you later. I think...you know, that sonic stitch remover you have is about the right shape and size. The larger one. Showing's better than telling, that's what my Auntie Dorba always said."

"Yes. I've found that to be the case in many circumstances," said Garak, glad he had the loosened pins to focus on. Guls, Bajorans truly were a brazen people. Garak couldn't fathom casually invoking the name of a relative in the course of such an indecorous conversation. It was better to pretend one had no relatives and had emerged, fully formed, from the desert.

Though she was right about the sonic stitch remover. It was exactly the right shape and size.

"Many, but not all," agreed Leeta. "Which is good, because I think I can tell you the rest of the things about Julian now, while you're fitting me. I know you're busy."

"Nonsense, Leeta. Dressmaking is an art, and it takes as long as it takes." Not altogether true when dressmaking was also a business, but all the same Garak decided to deploy the rest of his pins as slowly as possible. So what if Leeta's fitting went over-schedule? This information was far more valuable that any walk-in trade he was likely to get this late in the afternoon. "Please go on. Don't spare any details." He hoped he wouldn't regret the last comment. 

"He's shy about some of the things he likes, so he'll take forever to ask you to do them. But they're so utterly sweet and harmless. It's best if I just tell you."

"Naturally. If he can't, you're the next best thing." Garak steeled himself. He hoped, but doubted, that Leeta's definition of sweet and harmless lined up at least somewhat with his own. 

“Stop me if I start talking about something you already know.”

“I certainly shall.” He wouldn’t. There was value in fresh perspective on old intelligence. Any junior interrogator knew that.

"Okay. First of all, if you're doing it doggy-style-"

"'Doggy-style'?"

"Um." Leeta's hesitance was almost certainly due to her inability to move her hands to demonstrate what she mean by 'doggy-style', not because of any discomfort with the topic. "From behind. The receiving partner on their hands and knees. Like a pair of riding hounds?"

"Ah. The Congress of the Stable Foundation." Vulgar though it might be to compare animals rutting to the physical joining of two intelligent beings, Garak appreciated Leeta's use of a Cardassian creature as an example, despite the fact that she could have named any number of Bajoran ones. She really was a thoughtful conversation partner. 

Rom was a lucky man.

"Oh, yes, _that's_ what Cardassians call it. I'd forgotten. So, anyway, sometimes when he's fucking during the Congress of the Stable Foundation he likes to pull out and come on your ass."  
  
"Oh?" Julian certainly was fond of the Congress of the Stable Foundation, but he'd never done _that_ with Garak. It seemed harmless, but what an odd thing to do. Garak had only ever heard of such a thing in the case of...but no, surely Julian and Leeta had used a more sophisticated form of contraception than _that_. He’d never personally needed to discuss such things with Julian, but the man was a doctor. "Why would he...?" Garak stopped, hoping she would understand and fill the pause herself so that he didn't have to say it.  
  
"He just likes to see it. I don't know why. He came on my tits a few times, too, actually.” Leeta paused. "More than a few. I _think_ it's common in human pornography. He said something once about that. I mean, it’s that thing about the penis again, isn't it? But it was almost like he felt bad for doing it.” She laughed. “As if I'd be offended by something so innocent. Especially if _he_ enjoyed it so much.”

“Yes, it seems entirely inoffensive.” Interesting. So there was some sort of human morality involved in this curious act. Garak looked forward to needling more out of Julian later, and then letting him ejaculate on his bottom. And maybe his chest? Garak had never considered it before, but the image of Julian, flushed and distracted and spilling his warm seed on Garak’s chula (and then maybe spreading it around with his clever fingers?) had definite appeal. Garak felt a rush of warmth to his ridges, and immediately switched his mind from the image of Julian to one of Quark at his latest fitting. 

“ _Entirely._ The only downside is the mess."

"It scarcely seems messier than most of the other practices he enjoys,” Garak felt compelled to point out. So what? At this point it seemed almost farcical to maintain the fiction that Leeta didn’t know exactly what he and Julian got up to in the bedroom.  
  
"Well, exactly! I mean, it's actually worse when he comes inside you, because then there's the walk to the 'fresher afterwards and you never know when it's going to drip out."

"Indeed." That was a bit of an annoyance, actually. Unlike Cardassians, humans, or at least Julian, seemed to produce copious amounts of semen, and at a viscosity that lent itself to slithering down one's inner thigh at the most inopportune moments. If Julian could be encouraged to spend himself somewhere other than Garak's _ajan_ more often it would certainly save Garak a few undignified trips to the refresher, hand cupped between his legs in an attempt to preserve the carpet.   
  
“Well, I think that's everything, Garak. If I remember anything else I’ll...oh. Sorry, this is stupid, but of course you know about the feet?"

"Pardon?" He did not know about the feet. "No, he's never said anything about feet." 

Leeta's eyes widened. "You're joking! It's never come up? But you're Cardassian! I mean, sorry, I know it's a bit of a stereotype."

"No reason to apologise.” A stereotype it may have been, but it was true for Garak and for every Cardassian he’d ever been with. “I don't believe Julian is aware of the...sensitive nature of Cardassian feet."

"Well, why haven't you told him?"

"As you say, it's never come up." True, but only because he found, with a new lover, especially an alien one, that it was more gratifying to unveil his desires slowly. Julian had only just mastered the neck ridges, after all. The feet could wait. There would, if all went well, be plenty of time. 

"Oh, come on, Garak! That's one of the most erogenous parts of the Cardassian body and you're letting him get away with not satisfying you?" Leeta sounded almost offended on Garak's behalf. 

"I assure you I am _quite_ satisfied with Julian," said Garak. He only had a few more bits to pin, so perhaps it was time to wind this appointment up, if Leeta was going to get this personal. He was glad Cardassians didn't blush like some species, because otherwise he'd be quite red. "And speaking of Julian, my dear, I thought we were talking about him, not me."

"Well, that's why I brought up the feet! Garak, you ought to tell him. The thing is, Julian _really_ likes feet."

"Oh? He hasn't mentioned that to me." Was that...usual for humans? Garak had a varied enough sexual history to know that the foot was not generally an object of erotic interest outside his own species, but his experience with humans was admittedly limited. So far. 

"That's probably because he doesn't like to mention it."

Intriguing. How unfortunate that Leeta had begun this topic of discussion only as Garak was nearly finishing. He considered un- and then re-pinning the right side of the bodice, but no, no, he was a professional. And in any case, Leeta would be staying for at least a little while after, as she'd promised, and could no doubt be persuaded to stay longer for a cup of tea and a chat. "Why would he be afraid to mention such an innocuous interest? Is it some kind of taboo amongst humans?”

Leeta wrinkled her brow so that it matched her nose. "I don't think it's quite a _taboo_. I think it's just...the kind of thing his friends would tease him about if they found out." Leeta tilted her head and raised her eyebrows. "You know how he and Chief O'Brien are."

"Yes, I do." Garak didn't bother to leave the edge out of his voice. Everyone on the station knew there was no love lost between Garak and O'Brien, although if there was one thing that Garak and the Chief had in common, it was the joy they got from teasing Julian Bashir. And why not? He was so easy to tease, and so quick to forgive, and in any case gave as good as he got. And truth be told, deep down Julian enjoyed the fact that he had people in his life who knew him well enough to tease him. Of this Garak was certain. 

"I mean, we both know he actually likes it when people he loves tease him," Leeta continued, "but I think for sexual things it's different for humans. They’re kind of, what’s the word, not prudish...” Leeta trailed off. 

"And we're done. How does that feel?" Garak asked, stepping back. He was relieved now that he had not artificially extended the pinning, not if she was going to start bringing words like 'love' into the conversation. What if she started applying it to Julian's feelings for Garak, or vice versa? It was far too soon to be considering those kinds of notions. 

Garak shoved the idea out of his mind as he ran an appraising eye over his work. Leeta craned her neck and twisted back and forth, inspecting her reflection in the mirrors. 

"It's wonderful, Garak! Really." Cautious of the pins, Leeta gave a few experimental hops and shimmies. "It’ll be perfect for the dancing." 

"Excellent. Then, I'll leave you to remove it yourself, my dear," said Garak, ushering Leeta into the dressing room. This ushering was necessary, as Bajorans were wont to disrobe in public without compunction, and Bajoran station or not, Garak had a reputation to maintain. Even if just in his own mind. "Leave it on the bench, and come out to me when you've finished. And mind the pins."

Sitting at his work table, Leeta safely ensconced in the dressing room, Garak took a moment to consider. Should he? It was prudent to practice discretion and discipline, not to be too eager, and to keep valuable information locked up tight, only deployed when it was most effective. 

"Garak to Bashir." But, then, on the other hand, why wait unnecessarily simply on principle? No time like the present, as Julian was fond of saying.

 _"Bashir here. Is everything okay, Elim?_ "

"Yes, everything's fine. I simply wondered, Julian, if you wanted to have dinner this evening."

_"Oh? I thought you said you needed the evening to finish reading Cold Comfort Farm."_

"Regrettably, I had time to finish that...interesting choice of yours this afternoon." (It was a lie, he'd finished it two days ago.) "And thus am very much in need of more diverting entertainment. If you're free."

Julian's laugh echoed over the channel. _"Well, in that case, yes, I'm free. Do you want to go out or stay in?"_

"Oh, _my dear_ , let's stay in," Garak purred. 

_"Mmmmmm."_ Message received. _"My quarters at nineteen hundred hours, then?"_

"That would be perfect, Julian. I'll see you then. Garak out."

There. It was important to have one's own space and boundaries, but what these were could change drastically depending on the situation. In the dressing room, the curtain swished open. Garak stood and set about locating Leeta's favourite tea. And his sonic stitch remover. The large one. 

**Author's Note:**

> References to the ajan and some other Cardassian reproductive biology come from [Speculative Cardassian Reproductive Xenobiology](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1719479%E2%80%9D%20rel=) by tinsnip. I’ve adapted a bit. Some are also my own ideas, for example the notion that Cardassian feet are very erogenous.
> 
> And while we're on the topic, no apologies this time for mentioning Julian's foot thing. It's [confirmed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Tq8zaSObWU) now!
> 
> I love engaging with readers, so please leave your comments and kudos if you feel so moved!
> 
> And seriously, go check out [Crowtoed's Tumblr](https://crowtoed.tumblr.com/post/626167133270867968/i-havent-done-this-in-a-while-but-its-just-as).


End file.
